Wednesday night, residents packed the Johnstown City Council chambers, calling for action after weeks of violence. City leaders say they hear those concerns and are working on both short-term solutions and long-term changes to improve public safety.
“Did we have a bad month and a half? Yes. Is it possible to have another bad month and a half? Absolutely. But we are doing the best that we can. And we’re going to continue doing that,”
Since last month’s regular Johnstown City Council meeting, police responded to multiple reports of shots fired, a slashing, and a homicide. Wednesday night, dozens of community members showed up in what they called a peaceful protest to demand change.
“We can’t keep having shootings in our streets. Our residents are scaredWe are still your friends and your neighbors begging you for change,”
At the meeting, which was also attended by the Cambria County District Attorney, County Sheriff, Prison Warden, and a representative from Frank Burns’ office, some residents raised concerns about various issues throughout the city, like codes enforcement and Section 8 housing, which some city officials admitted were growing issues in the community.
“We can’t keep having shootings in our streets. Our residents are scaredWe are still your friends and your neighbors begging you for”
“Violence is real and it must be addressed, but violence is often the final symptom of a pressure that has been building for a long time.”
“I believe that in order to stop this, the housing authority in the city needs to come together deal with Section 8,”
“I will sit here and tell you that, yes, we have a serious code problem with the high grass and abandoned homes. And we definitely know that. We are not turning a blind eye nor deaf ear to those issues,”
Even with these mounting problems, city leaders are assuring the public that they’re doing their best to combat violence. Britton explained that his department is looking into a substation in the Moxham neighborhood of the city.
“It would be something that would be accessible, not only to Moxham, but also to Hornerstown in case there were any issues there. We are looking to do that. So, when that comes out, we’ll guarantee we’ll be letting everybody know.”
Mm“It didn’t happen overnight, so it won’t be resolved overnight as well. But just know that each one of us, we do care because we live here as well. I live right beside where one of the shootings occurred. So, I definitely hear you and I definitely care.”
City leaders are encouraging residents to stay engaged in the community and attend a free resource fair along Grove Avenue on June 18.